My line of reasoning is, well, I’m at the age where I’m too old to make a Christmas list. Sure, I can and have made an Amazon Wish List, but that just ends up being for my own personal pleasure and expenditures. The cold hard fact, kids, is that when you become an adult and don’t start your own family, you reside in that strange and lonely canyon where nobody cares much for what you want for Christmas, and you have to rely on yourself to take the things you want and need.

This happened to me yesterday while I was searching online for gift ideas. As I was perusing the book section, Amazon.com suggested the DVD of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”

For only $3.49.

One of my favorite movies for under four bucks? Even with shipping it only came to about six dollars and change.

Hell YES I’ll be my own Santa!

Most of you reading this haven’t seen this movie, but you most likely have seen the parody “alternate ending” of “Yogi Bear” that went viral earlier this week, which is actually an homage to a memorable scene from the film.

The film itself is an epic, sprawling re-telling/re-imagining of the circumstances leading up to the death of Jesse James and the man who betrayed and killed the infamous gunslinger. It’s acted beautifully, with a script (adapted from the book of the same name) that breathes a life into the James Gang mythos unlike anything I’ve seen before. It captures the true essence of Jesse James (played by Brad Pitt, who I think often gets overlooked for his acting chops because of all the tabloid publicity), a man whose morals were fiction, whose fiction was myth, and myth was based on half-truths and a charisma that belied the ruthlessness of a rabid, wounded dog.

Plus, the cinematography and film’s aesthetics are incredible. Watching this film for me is like watching my favorite painting come to life.

Did I mention that the incredible score for the film (a portion of which is heard in the aforementioned “Yogi Bear alternate ending” video) was co-written by Nick Cave?

God I love this film.

I guess maybe instead of talking about my poor gift-giving, I should instead go all Oprah and just devote space on this blog to my favorite things. These are the gifts I love and would like, and already bought for myself. Look at them and want them.

Just don’t expect to look under the chair in your office and find keys to a new car. I don’t make that kind of money; in fact, I only kind of make money.

Not that more money would make me a better gift-giver.

So…who wants an iTunes gift card?

Do you buy gifts for yourself while you’re holiday shopping? What was the last thing you treated yourself to?